Question: My Bible has different words from the King James, but don’t they all mean the same thing? So I want a Bible that reads as simply as possible, not hard words like the King James Bible has.

Answer: "Different words" produce different meanings. A “meaning that’s different” from the truth is a lie. So if your Bible isn’t a King James, it’s lying to you about what God really said!

For example, take a look at 1 Corinthians 7:36. This passage is translated accurately from the Greek in the King James Bible:

King James Bible
"But if any man think that he behaveth himself uncomely toward his virgin, if she pass the flower of her age, and need so require, let him do what he will, he sinneth not: let them marry."

If a man has a virgin daughter (note that it says "his virgin," not "his betrothed") who is getting older, and "need so require," this father can allow them (the virgin and the man betrothed to her) to get married. Reading the scripture literally brings the clear solution, without pretending to find something "new" in the Greek. It’s clear in the English! But now look at the NIV:

NIV (New International Version)
"If anyone thinks he is acting improperly toward the virgin he is engaged to, and if she is getting along in years and he feels he ought to marry, he should do as he wants. He is not sinning. They should get married."

NIV translators pretend the verse concerns, not the virgin’s father, but the man she’s engaged to! That’s totally different! And it is wrong. Then the NIV wrongly changes “need so require” to “he feels he ought to,” putting the decision to marry, not up to “need,” but up to the man’s feelings! The new English Standard Version and Revised Standard take the lie a step further:

ESV (English Standard Version), identical in this verse to the RSV (Revised Standard Version)
"If any one thinks that he is not behaving properly toward his betrothed, if his passions are strong, and it has to be, let him do as he wishes: let them marry-- it is no sin.”

Now the translators lied, saying the text is no longer considering her passing youth, but his passions! But the New English Bible is more ridiculous still:

NEB (New English Bible)
"But if a man has a partner in celibacy^c and feels that he is not behaving properly towards her, if, that is, his instincts are too strong for him^d, and something must be done, he may do as he pleases; there is nothing wrong with it; let them marry^e."

^cOr a virgin daughter     ^dOr if he is ripe for marriage     ^eOr let the girl and her lover marry

Now we have a multiple-choice Bible verse! They’ve completely changed the meaning. Again it talks about his feelings. But did you notice the next lie? If "his instincts are too strong for him"! This reflects the lie of evolution, saying man is like an animal with uncontrollable “instincts.” This is a lie. God breathed into man, making him “a living soul” (Genesis 2:7). So humans have a soul and spirit, and they bear responsibility to follow God. No one can say “The devil made me do it,” or “My instincts made me do it.” When someone chooses evil, he or she will bear responsibility for it before the holy and righteous God (the Son), the Lord Jesus Christ.

Here you have blatant examples of a clear principle. When you change the words in a Bible passage so they no longer match the King James Bible, you end up changing the meaning of the passage.

The King James Bible was translated by over 50 Christians who were experts in God’s word and in many languages. Every single verse was considered over fourteen times. No one got away with a new interpretation. Every word of every verse had to pass the test of every other translator. So the King James accurately translates God’s preserved words from Greek and Hebrew into English. Modern so-called “scholars” like to translate what they feel the text says or what they want the text to say.

What kind of Bible do you want? Do you want to trust some “scholars” to give you what they feel the Bible should say? Or do you want to have a Bible that accurately translates the Greek and Hebrew so you can know what God actually said? I trust God the Holy Spirit to teach me the meaning of His words. I am seeking God’s truth, not man’s opinion.

Which do you choose?

May God bless you as you trust God, not man to teach you the truth. And may the Lord bless you as you read His preserved words in English, the King James Bible.

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